the dust-第31章
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y served to intensify his agitation。 He now saw in her not only all that had first conquered him； but also those unsuspected beauties and gracesand possibilities of beauty and grace yet more entrancing； were she but dressed properly。
〃You don't begin to appreciate how beautiful you are；〃 said he。 It had ever been one of his rules in dealing with women to feed their physical vanity sparingly and cautiously； lest it should blaze up into one of those consuming flames that produce a very frenzy of conceit。 But this rule； like all the others； had gone by the board。 He could not conceal his infatuation from her； not even when he saw that it was turning her head and making his task harder and harder。 〃If you would only go over to New York to several dressmakers whose names I'll give you； I know you'd get clothes from them that you could touch up into something uncommon。〃
〃I can't afford it；〃 said she。 〃What I have is good enoughand costs more than I've the right to pay。〃 And her tone silenced him； it was the tone of finality； and he had discovered that she had a will。
Never before had Frederick Norman let any important thing drift。 And when he started in with Dorothy he had no idea of changing that fixed policy。 He would have scoffed if anyone had foretold to him that he would permit the days and the weeks to go by with nothing definite accomplished toward any definite purpose。 Yet that was what occurred。 Every time he came he had in mind a fixed resolve to make distinct progress with the girl。 Every time he left he had a furious quarrel with himself for his weakness。 〃She is making a fool of me；〃 he said to himself。 〃She MUST be laughing at me。〃 But he returned only to repeat his folly； to add one more to the lengthening； mocking series of lost opportunities。
The truth lay deeper than he saw。 He recognized only his own weakness of the infatuated lover's fatuous timidity。 He did not realize how potent her charm for him was； how completely content she made him when he was with her； just from the fact that they were together。 After a time an unsatisfied passion often thus diffuses itself； ceases to be a narrow torrent； becomes a broad river whose resistless force is hidden beneath an appearance of sparkling calm。 Her ingenuousness amused him； her developing taste and imagination interested him； her freshness； her freedom from any sense of his importance in the world fascinated him； and there was a keener pleasure than he dreamed in the novel sensation of breathing the perfume of what he； the one time cynic； would have staked his life on being unsullied purity。 Their relations were to him a delightful variation upon the intimacy of master and pupil。 Either he was listening to her or was answering her questions and the time flew。 And there never was a moment when he could have introduced the subject that most concerned him when he was not with her。 To have introduced it would have been rudely to break the charm of a happy afternoon or evening。
Was she leading him on and on nowhere deliberately？ Or was it the sweet and innocent simplicity it seemed？ He could not tell。 He would have broken the charm and put the matter to the test had he not been afraid of the consequences。 What had he to fear？ Was she not in his power？ Was she not his； whenever he should stretch forth his hand and claim her？ Yesno doubt not the slightest doubt。 But He was afraid to break the charm； it was such a satisfying charm。
Thenthere was her father。
Men who arrive anywhere in any direction always have the habit of ignoring the nonessential more or less strongly developed。 One reasonperhaps the chief reasonwhy Norman had got up to the high places of material success at so early an age was that he had an unerring instinct for the essential and wasted no time or energy upon the nonessential。 In his present situation Dorothy's father； the abstracted man of science； was one of the factors that obviously fell into the nonessential class。 Norman knew little about him； and cared less。 Also； he took care to avoid knowing him。 Knowing the father would open up possibilities of discomfort But； being a wise young man； Norman gave this matter the least possible thought。
Still； it was necessary that the two men see something of each other。 Hallowell discovered nothing about Norman； not enough about his personal appearance to have recognized him in the street far enough away from the laboratory to dissociate the two ideas。 Human beingsexcept his daughterdid not interest Hallowell； and his feeling for her was somewhat in the nature of an abstraction。 Norman； on the other hand； was intensely interested in human beings； indeed； he was interested in little else。 He was always thrusting through surfaces； probing into minds and souls。 He sought thoroughly to understand the living machines he used in furthering his ambitions and desires。 So it was not long before he learned much about old Newton Hallowelland began to admire himand with a man of Norman's temperament to admire is to like。
He had assumed at the outset that the scientist was more or less the crank。 He had not talked with him many times before he discovered that； far from being in any respect a crank； he was a most able and well… balanced mentalitya genius。 The day came when； Dorothy not having returned from a shopping tour； he lingered in the laboratory talking with the father； or； rather； listening while the man of great ideas unfolded to him conceptions of the world that set his imagination to soaring。
Most of us see but dimly beyond the ends of our noses； and visualize what lies within our range of sight most imperfectly。 We know little about ourselves； less about others。 We fancy that the world and the human race always have been about as they now are； and always will be。 History reads to us like a fairy tale； to which we give conventional acceptance as truth。 As to the future； we can conceive nothing but the continuation of just what we see about us in the present。 Norman； practical man though he was； living in and for the present； had yet an imagination。 He thought Hallowell a kind of fool for thinking only of the future and working only for itbut he soon came to think him n divine fool。 And through Hallowell's spectacles he was charmed for many an hour with visions of the world that is to be when； in the slow but steady processes of evolution； the human race will become intelligent； will conquer the universe with the weapons of science and will make it over。
When he first stated his projects to Norman； the young man had difficulty in restraining his amusement。 A new idea； in any line of thought with which we are not familiar； always strikes us as ridiculous。 Norman had been educated in the ignorant conventional way still in high repute among the vulgar and among those whose chief delight is to make the vulgar gape in awe。 He therefore had no science； that is； no knowledgeoutside his professionbut only what is called learning； though tommyrot would be a fitter name for it。 He had only the most meager acquaintance with that great fundamental of a sound and sane education； embryology。 He knew nothing of what science had already done to destroy all the still current notions about the mystery of life and birth。 He still laughed； as at a clever bit of legerdemain； when Hallowell showed him how far science had progressed toward mastery of the life of the lower forms of existencehow those 〃worms〃 could be artificially created； could be aged； made young again； made diseased and decrepit； restored to perfect health； could be swung back and forth or sideways or sinuously along the span of existencecould even be killed and brought back to vigor。
〃We've been at this sort of thing only a few years；〃 said Hallowell。 〃I rather think it will not be many years now before we shall not even need the initial germ of life to enable us to create but can do it by pure chemical means； just as a taper is lighted by holding a match to it。〃
Norman ceased to think of sleight…of…hand。
〃Life；〃 continued the juggler； transformed now into practical man； leader of men； 〃life has been demonstrated to be simply one of the forms of energy； or one of the consequences
